The Joburg Hockey League tournaments at Morningside
The Joburg Hockey League has undoubtedly brought a wave of happiness and positivity to the Morningside community.
Morningside Country Club was buzzing with excitement as the highly anticipated Joburg Hockey League kicked off on February 23.
This event brought together hockey enthusiasts, players, and fans from all corners of the city, creating an atmosphere of camaraderie.
The league, showcasing the city’s finest hockey talent, has become a focal point for sports lovers and the community alike.
Eastside Mavericks coach Jason Voight said the much-awaited Series 3 of the league and the first game of the day saw defending champions the Northside Griffins take on the Eastside Mavericks.
“The first quarter was fairly even, and both teams had opportunities to score, with the Mavericks goalkeeper pulling off a string of impressive saves to keep the score at 0–0.”
He added Griffin’s pressure eventually counted and they converted a penalty stroke to go 1–0 up.
“The second quarter produced no further goals, but there was action, plenty on both ends of the field with plenty of opportunities for both teams, some wayward finishing and competent goalkeeping, however, the score remained 1–0.”
He highlighted after the halftime break, the defending champs showed their class and turned on the style, running rampant for 10 minutes during which time they scored five unanswered goals.
According to Lehlohonolo Maluke, the coach of the Northside Griffins, they struggled to get a foothold in the rhythm of the game and find their connections as a unit.
Maluke added the first half was particularly poor by the standards they set themselves, especially considering the number of set pieces they had and the opportunities they garnered in open play.
“In the second half, we started connecting more and started trusting in the process; this allowed us the critical spaces we needed to punish the opponent’s mistakes and take advantage of the fact that they couldn’t keep with us fitness-wise.”
He concluded it was a good game but there was a lot to improve on.
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